The Best People with Nicolle Wallace

Robert De Niro commands every room he enters. His decades-long career and Academy Award winning performances have gifted the world some of its most beloved films, from instant classics like "The Godfather II" and "Raging Bull" to countless gems like "Goodfellas," and "Casino." But despite the rough and tumble characters he often portrays, he tells Nicolle, "I'm not a tough guy. I'm a concerned citizen." He brings that inextricably human sensibility to this episode, having been a consistent and passionate voice in the fight against President Trump's worst instincts. De Niro and Nicolle drill down on the optics of business leaders turning a blind eye to the administration's behaviors, the need for mass mobilization to protect midterm election integrity, and the importance of kindness in an era defined by division. And the Hollywood titan has some sage advice for those who oppose Trump: "Everybody has to get out there every way possible... this is it. This is our country." 

After Nicolle's fiery conversation with Princeton Professor Dr. Eddie Glaude, former NOLA Mayor Mitch Landrieu, and The Atlantic's Tom Nichols on "Deadline: White House" a few weeks back, it was clear they needed to continue their thread beyond a single TV segment. So this week, she convened the trio to pick up where they left off: how to make sense of this moment in our history. "We're facing some serious headwinds, right? We're running deficits in courage," alerts Glaude, while Nichols, looking at the rise of walled-off technocrats, laments, "Even the ancient Athenians built a Parthenon to put money back into the economy at some point." And after a wide-ranging conversation about grift, grievance and the promise of America versus her reality, Landrieu declares: "Trump is a feral beast," before noting that, in the wake of what the president is destroying, "People need to start thinking about, what are we going to build going forward?"

Tig Notaro is spectacularly funny. She's also a fiercely dedicated friend. The Emmy and Grammy nominated comedian now adds "Oscar Nominee" to her impressive list of accomplishments for her work producing the deeply personal documentary, "Come See Me in the Good Light." The film explores the life and death of her dear friend, the late poet and activist Andrea Gibson, who passed after a hard-fought battle with ovarian cancer in July of 2025. Notaro joins Nicolle in this episode to honor Gibson and share stories of the venerated poet's profoundly impactful life and legacy, encapsulated in the film in Gibson's own words: "My story is one about happiness being easier to find once we realize we do not have forever to find it." They also talk about the healing nature of comedy, Notaro's experiences acting in "The Morning Show" and "Star Trek: Starfleet Academy," and her latest venture into podcasting hilarity, "Handsome."

" We anticipate your unit taking about fifty percent casualties." This is what Retired Army Lieutenant General Mark Hertling heard in an intelligence briefing at division headquarters before deploying to Iraq in 1991. This would be the first of three combat deployments in a 38-year career in the United States Army, retiring after leading over 40,000 men and women as Commanding General of the U.S. Army Europe. It was this deployment that led Lt. Gen. Hertling to begin keeping a war-time journal, which became the basis for his latest book. "If I Don't Return" is a collection of raw and revealing missives written for his sons in the event he didn't make it home. Drawing from his personal experiences and military expertise, Lt. Gen. Hertling joins Nicolle to explain what drives the less than one percent of our citizens to become service members. He also lays out his vision of leadership and notes that while active-duty generals  serve at the behest of the President that voters choose, the current leadership in the White House and at the Pentagon do not always seem to understand the mission.